KIWI RIDER MARCH 2021 VOL1 | Page 25

N ow , if you were expecting Suzuki ’ s supreme sportsbike to enter its third generation with the aid of forced induction to boost power even further , well , you ’ re going to be a little disappointed . In fact , Suzuki says the new Hayabusa has actually dropped power from the claimed 145kW ( 194hp ) of the second generation machine to 140kW ( 187hp ) for the new model . But that might not necessarily be a bad thing ...

LESS PEAK POWER BUT FASTER ACCELERATING Suzuki ’ s design and engineering teams considered everything from superchargers to six cylinders for the new bike ’ s motor , but decided to stay with the original motor configuration . Instead of reinventing the wheel , or engine in this case , Suzuki has opted for the safe approach and
given the Japanese firm ’ s hero bike a thorough makeover to bring it in line with global emissions as well as add plenty of useful tech . The result is a bike that is actually quicker to 100km / h than the last generation by 0.2 seconds and quicker to 200mph by 0.1 seconds . Going by Suzuki ’ s historic claimed power figures and what their bikes produce at the back wheel - the second gen Hayabusa was claimed at 194hp and it made 176hp at the wheel , giving a 10 % drop - the new bike should make around 168-170hp at the wheel .
ELECTRONIC SUITE Not only has the engine received a heap of refinements including optimised exhaust , redesigned SRAD intake system , new cams and revised engine internals for better durability , plus a ride by wire throttle ( and more ), the Hayabusa has also been
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